The Wisdom Of A Believer Series

We are going to talk about wisdom today. I thought I would contrast the wisdom of Scripture with the wisdom of the world. Here are a few gems of wisdom I found concerning the wisdom of the world; in a minute I will explain the wisdom of a believer.

From the world someone said…

Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.

I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn’t looking good either.

Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, "Where the heck is the ceiling?!"

There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives.

Good news is just life’s way of keeping you off balance.

Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.

I considered atheism but there weren’t enough holidays.

My inferiority complex is not as good as yours.

I am having an out of money experience.

I plan on living forever. So far, so good.

Not afraid of heights-afraid of widths.

I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take something for it.

Well, are you ready to get into God’s Word and learn some true wisdom? Turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 5 as we look at the wisdom for believers Paul wrote of in verses 15-17. The first thing we learn is…

I. Wise Believers know how to live. Verse 15, “Be careful how you live, not as unwise but as wise.

Reading Proverbs can learn much. There are extensive passages on living the life of the fool or the life of the wise. Proverbs 14 as an extensive catalog of the differences. Verse 1 tells us, “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”

Proverbs 14:3, “A fools talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.”

Proverbs 14:6, “The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.”

Proverbs 14:7, “Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.”

Proverbs 14:9, “Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.”

Proverbs 14:16, “A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.”

On and on I could read these principles of life and I hope during the week you will take some time to read more and discuss these nuggets in your community groups this week.

Paul said to be care how you life, as wise people not as foolish. When the Bible speaks of a fool, it is not talking of someone who might have intellectual limitations, rather, it speaks of the person who is without Christ and as a result lives a life of foolishness, wasting what potential could come from being a Christian with eternity ahead.

If we as believers are careful in how we live, we will learn how to walk around the evil influences of our culture so we can remain untouched by worldly influence. When we are not careful, temptation is but a heartbeat away, tugging at us, trying to lure us into unwise behavior.

Do you know what gets more Christians in trouble than one would care to think about? They have made no plans for how to avoid falling into the travails of the world. Jesus spoke of the builder who goes about the task of building a home. When he is preparing, he counts the cost so he has what it takes to finish the project. Laura and I are doing some remolding, we have sat down with pen and paper, went out to suppliers, calculated what it was going to cost to finish the job. No one wants to have a half finished roof, or a partly carpeted home with bare wood showing. People would think that foolishness that might walk by or come in. Yet, how many people do not carry out the calculations on what it cost to avoid temptation and sin, finding themselves in foolish living. If the prodigal son would have take the time to calculate, he would have had more than enough money to make it through life, yet, how did he live? For the moment without thought. Don’t be like the fool. Read the word, spend time in prayer, study and prove yourself as wise.

Paul taught we need to know how to live, and in living, secondly…

II. Wise believers seize the day.

Ephesians 5:16, “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

I have said before, The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity. Carpe Diem, “seize the day.”